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Good Things
Flemington Racecourse
There is nothing better in an Australian summer than bringing together a fantastic line up of musicians and gathering for a music festival under the warm summer skies.
Good Things at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne delivered — and then some. From the moment the crowd poured in, there was a palpable energy: thousands of music fans, wide‑eyed and primed, ready to dive head‑long into whatever the festival had to give.
With five stages, the 2025 line‑up pulled no punches. Headline‑level acts and up‑and‑comers alike delivered sets that ran the gamut from dreamy alt‑rock to brutal breakdowns, a veritable feast for the senses.
Taking his place at the back of the stage, TOOL frontman Maynard is in fine form yet again proving that Tool commanded the evening. Their performance was immersive, hypnotic and technically impeccable. Whilst the sun set on a long day, Tool delivered.
As the sun refused to let up, Garbage injected a wave of ’90s‑alt‑rock nostalgia and funky energy into the afternoon. With what could be their last Australian performances, Garbage gave fans what they came for.
Machine Head returned for their first Australian festival outing in 13 years, and they brought with them deafening riffs and thunderous drums. Inflatable hammers flew through the air alongside giant dice.
The vibe was raw, sweaty, loud, inclusive and chaotic — but in that brilliant festival way where energy feeds itself. There was moshing, crowd‑surfing, singing along, shouting out lyrics, embracing the heavy riffs, and reveling in the lighter‑hearted sets. The production felt solid — stages were well‑laid‑out, the sound for headline acts was powerful and clear, and transitions between acts kept the momentum rolling.
GWAR had everyone ducking for cover spraying a sea of blood into the air, covering the mosh pit in red goo. Trump was disemboweled on stage, a baby dinosaur was injected with crack cocaine and the pit was drenched.
Lorna Shore can only be described as intensity personified. Their performance was brutal and precise; vocal acrobatics and sonic weight that shook the ground. For fans of heavier music, this delivered a memorable set, flames arising from the stage resembling the pits of Hades.
Fever 333 over on Stage Five gave what essentially was the most memorable and electric performance of the day. Jason Aalon Butler turned the stage into a slip and slide, pouring water everywhere and wreaking havoc.
The day had a huge roster — from newcomers to legends — featuring New Found Glory, Cobra Starship, Goldfinger, Windwaker, Yours Truly, and many more — proving the festival remains committed to giving punters a wild, wide‑ranging musical buffet.
Most impressively newcomer Maples Pet Dinosaur made their debut winning fans over with an exceptional performance.
With so many bands, clashes were inevitable. Sets by heavy‑hitters often overlapped with those from bands in completely different genres — so you sometimes had to choose between a heavy breakdown or a pop‑punk sing‑along. But despite that, there was a sense of shared experience: friends separated by taste still converging in the crowd, comparing favourite moments, catching glimpses of different sets, and swapping stories.
As a sea of black t-shirts filed out of the venue, one thing is for certain- Good Things is a fucking Good Time.
Behind the lens Amanda Lee Starkey
